Re the would-be hilarious "Ceci est une pipe": I hate to rain on your would-be parade, but "pipe" in French means pipe in the tobacco sense but not pipe in the plumbing sense (tuyau). Pipe does also however have a slang sense, with the result that "Ceci est une pipe" would mean either "this is a [smoking] pipe" or else "this is a blowjob."
I must have missed that day in french class. Tuyau is the most unfrench-sounding french word I have ever seen. I wonder where it comes from? Thanks for the info.
It comes directly (at least in its present spelling and formal definition) from Middle French. Subsequently, since words with multiple meanings, argot and idioms are like wine to the French, it has taken on the alternate meaning of a tip (as in useful piece of advice). The root is also used for related words and idioms like "informant," "to be in the know" and "straight from the horse's mouth."
what does tip and related expressions have anything to do with pipe in the plumbing sense? And what is the root? Also what does argot mean in this sense? I've decided not to be afraid to ask dumb questions.
Centuries ago a couple of writers decided to spice up their prose by figuratively comparing the passing on of a confidential tip from one person to another to the passing of a fluid in a hollow tube or conduit, from one end to the other. The "root" in this case would be "tuyau," when used in the term "un tuyauteur" ("informant") or the idiom, "avoir des tuyaux" ("to be in the know"), for example. As for "argot" --- just another word for slang or jargon which, beloved of the French, is not only in general use but is also specific or unique to various groups and professions, and usually unintelligible to outsiders --- which, of course, is the point. And btw ---there are no "dumb" questions. At least not when sincerely asked.
It originated as a related but different word with the same original meaning of a pipe or hollow tube of some sort in Old French, which was a mixture of Gaulish (Celtic), Latin and Frankish (Germanic). So yes, it could very likely have other than a Latin origin since something like 10% of Modern French, for example, comes from Frankish by some estimates.
I asked Dale if he or she is fluent in french but I realized you were the original "tuyau" poster. So I ask you the same--are you fluent in french? Not sure is this word is taught in standard high school curriculum--I guess it depends on what books the teacher chooses to use.
Marjorie Taylor Greene said, "6 “billion” have crossed the border in the Biden years." Since deleted, but I bet some of her "fans," having never mastered their numbers past the 3 times table in school, believed her. Scary!
Too late to participate live, crazy day, but just FYI Drew Carey is not a MAGA guy, of course, but he has confessed to being a Libertarian a la Reagan and such: "Politics can be divisive but Carey hasn’t shied away from it. The comedian and Price Is Right host describes himself as a libertarian. He advocates for limited government. When it comes to party affiliation, Carey has supported the Libertarian Party, even backing its 2016 presidential candidate Gary Johnson. He also donated to Libertarian 2008 presidential candidate Ron Paul’s campaign."
For Week 7's arty party, I submitted the minimalistic "Large black and red graffiti on the Guggenheim's wall in NYC simply reading, "JPMorgan Chase--Sargasso." Hoping the judges were fans of the allusive Banksy and loved plays on words. I have learned now to be much more descriptive.
My senior year in college, out of curiosity, I took a seminar meant for the art majors called Contemporary Art In Process. I experience what was titled, "A Sound Sculpture- that was a small room in which one single musical note was constantly playing. The reviews we had to write were such fun.
I'm getting another letter in the Post. Probably tomorrow's Free for All. The Empress should appreciate it as it is a grammar comment. My mother taught English in a high school for a couple of years and she would never have let me write a sentence like the one about which I complain.
While salving over last week's "Pokes" assignment, every joke I could think of was at least 50 years old. Made me ask, does anybody tell new jokes these days? Sure, there are a lot of comedians that have good one-liners or observational humor, but hard to find the longer punch line set-up jokes (like the "roo-roo" joke) that I grew up with.
For those who shake their heads in disbelief at someone willing to pay $69mm for a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) collection of pixels or a purely digital collage, you may not be aware of the next stage in modern art: nothing. Two years ago, an unknown buyer paid $18,350 for an invisible sculpture by Italian artist Salvatore Garau called, "Io Sono" ("I am"). The artist described the sculpture as a “density of thoughts,” observing that in quantum physics even empty space is “full of energy.” Garau graciously provided a certificate of authenticity to the purchaser. No doubt the exhibit also featured 4'33," a work by American composer, John Cage, in which the musicians do nothing aside from standing around (or maybe sitting, in one variation) for 4'33."
I always thought 4'3'' was a piano piece and if you google it you can see Cage himself "performing" it, sitting at a piano. My favorite weird music piece? One my sister played while in the band at Berkeley in which the music was written in a circle and each musician was told to start playing from wherever they wanted in the circle. I'm glad I never got to see it performed.
Congratulations to the first First Offender we've had in a couple of weeks: Seth Christenfeld, a New York theater person who describes himself on Facebook as "a cranky Jew." Seth, does the cranky-Jewishness come from having "Christ" in your name all the time?
I'm only seeing this now, so I'm sorry it took me a week to respond. Having a name that literally translates to "Field of Christ" is only a minor contributor to my crankiness. We think it was "Klaristenfeld" in the Old Country, wherever that may have been. (One of my cousins, who isn't even a Christenfeld but a Lindquist, once quipped that it's an old Yiddish word meaning "pranked at Ellis Island.")
Oops, it turns out that Seth is a Repeat Offender after all -- he had one blot of ink in 2017. So he has already been Fir Stunk. (It was for new clues for words in a crossword grid: For EWOK, he did: "That's disgusting! . . . Oh, what the heck, let's do it" (2 wds) )
I used to dream about riding a bike when I was young- but it was hopeful fantasy as I was a failure at it. Running into the mailbox was my last attempt as a child. As an adult I used to dream about during an Axel (figure skating's hardest jump) or ice dancing with someone. Haven't skated for years and no longer dream about it and it would make me sad that the metal in my back makes skating hazardous or as the doctor said when I asked him if it was ok to go back to skating: "if you don't fall".
As a young teen, my son had to have part of his jaw re-filled in, after extraction of a cyst. He asked the doctor if he would have to limit his activities for a while, and the doctor said, "don't get into any fistfights."
The doctor probably said "Don't LIFT anything heavy," but your dad misheard it, because he was expecting the doctor to say something about "looking" since this was eye surgery.
That being said, I hope the doctor DID say what your dad heard, because it's hilarious.
Daddy made the whole thing up. He's a funny guy. He'll be 90 years old on St. Patrick's Day. Last week he told the clerk at the convenience store, "At my age, i don't buy green bananas." The clerk told me about it yesterday.
Re "Ozymandias": that should be "subtlety" not "subtly."
Today is Pedantry Day, sorry.
Re the would-be hilarious "Ceci est une pipe": I hate to rain on your would-be parade, but "pipe" in French means pipe in the tobacco sense but not pipe in the plumbing sense (tuyau). Pipe does also however have a slang sense, with the result that "Ceci est une pipe" would mean either "this is a [smoking] pipe" or else "this is a blowjob."
I must have missed that day in french class. Tuyau is the most unfrench-sounding french word I have ever seen. I wonder where it comes from? Thanks for the info.
It comes directly (at least in its present spelling and formal definition) from Middle French. Subsequently, since words with multiple meanings, argot and idioms are like wine to the French, it has taken on the alternate meaning of a tip (as in useful piece of advice). The root is also used for related words and idioms like "informant," "to be in the know" and "straight from the horse's mouth."
what does tip and related expressions have anything to do with pipe in the plumbing sense? And what is the root? Also what does argot mean in this sense? I've decided not to be afraid to ask dumb questions.
Centuries ago a couple of writers decided to spice up their prose by figuratively comparing the passing on of a confidential tip from one person to another to the passing of a fluid in a hollow tube or conduit, from one end to the other. The "root" in this case would be "tuyau," when used in the term "un tuyauteur" ("informant") or the idiom, "avoir des tuyaux" ("to be in the know"), for example. As for "argot" --- just another word for slang or jargon which, beloved of the French, is not only in general use but is also specific or unique to various groups and professions, and usually unintelligible to outsiders --- which, of course, is the point. And btw ---there are no "dumb" questions. At least not when sincerely asked.
Tuyau sounds either Indian (south Asian) or some African dialect. Not of Latin origin.
It originated as a related but different word with the same original meaning of a pipe or hollow tube of some sort in Old French, which was a mixture of Gaulish (Celtic), Latin and Frankish (Germanic). So yes, it could very likely have other than a Latin origin since something like 10% of Modern French, for example, comes from Frankish by some estimates.
There is at least one dumb question, regardless of sincerity, and that is: "is this going to be on the exam?"
I asked Dale if he or she is fluent in french but I realized you were the original "tuyau" poster. So I ask you the same--are you fluent in french? Not sure is this word is taught in standard high school curriculum--I guess it depends on what books the teacher chooses to use.
The proper (if unprofessional) response to which should be: "Yes. Shall I put you down in advance for the wrong answer anyway ?"
Marjorie Taylor Greene said, "6 “billion” have crossed the border in the Biden years." Since deleted, but I bet some of her "fans," having never mastered their numbers past the 3 times table in school, believed her. Scary!
Ooops, posted on Pat's page. Repeat here.
Too late to participate live, crazy day, but just FYI Drew Carey is not a MAGA guy, of course, but he has confessed to being a Libertarian a la Reagan and such: "Politics can be divisive but Carey hasn’t shied away from it. The comedian and Price Is Right host describes himself as a libertarian. He advocates for limited government. When it comes to party affiliation, Carey has supported the Libertarian Party, even backing its 2016 presidential candidate Gary Johnson. He also donated to Libertarian 2008 presidential candidate Ron Paul’s campaign."
For Week 7's arty party, I submitted the minimalistic "Large black and red graffiti on the Guggenheim's wall in NYC simply reading, "JPMorgan Chase--Sargasso." Hoping the judges were fans of the allusive Banksy and loved plays on words. I have learned now to be much more descriptive.
My senior year in college, out of curiosity, I took a seminar meant for the art majors called Contemporary Art In Process. I experience what was titled, "A Sound Sculpture- that was a small room in which one single musical note was constantly playing. The reviews we had to write were such fun.
I'm getting another letter in the Post. Probably tomorrow's Free for All. The Empress should appreciate it as it is a grammar comment. My mother taught English in a high school for a couple of years and she would never have let me write a sentence like the one about which I complain.
Free for All runs on Saturday. What was the sentence in question?
While salving over last week's "Pokes" assignment, every joke I could think of was at least 50 years old. Made me ask, does anybody tell new jokes these days? Sure, there are a lot of comedians that have good one-liners or observational humor, but hard to find the longer punch line set-up jokes (like the "roo-roo" joke) that I grew up with.
The Web killed them. Repeating jokes no longer require "telling" them. You just cut and pasted, and in that form, they lose a lot.
By "jokes," you can do anything with any punchline, even a dad-joke riddle. And if you can't find any current source material, you can make them up yourself. Maybe you can even stretch a one-liner into verse, using ones like these from last year's Edinburgh Fringe. https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/edinburgh-festivals/the-top-ten-funniest-jokes-of-the-edinburgh-fringe-2022-3814340
Rob --- I blame it on texting and social media. But then I blame everything on texting and social media, including inflation and hemorrhoids.
hemmeroids are definatley caused by social media.
For those who shake their heads in disbelief at someone willing to pay $69mm for a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) collection of pixels or a purely digital collage, you may not be aware of the next stage in modern art: nothing. Two years ago, an unknown buyer paid $18,350 for an invisible sculpture by Italian artist Salvatore Garau called, "Io Sono" ("I am"). The artist described the sculpture as a “density of thoughts,” observing that in quantum physics even empty space is “full of energy.” Garau graciously provided a certificate of authenticity to the purchaser. No doubt the exhibit also featured 4'33," a work by American composer, John Cage, in which the musicians do nothing aside from standing around (or maybe sitting, in one variation) for 4'33."
I always thought 4'3'' was a piano piece and if you google it you can see Cage himself "performing" it, sitting at a piano. My favorite weird music piece? One my sister played while in the band at Berkeley in which the music was written in a circle and each musician was told to start playing from wherever they wanted in the circle. I'm glad I never got to see it performed.
Melissa --- It was originally. I assume Cage had it "transcribed" for use with ensembles. Easily lends itself to any number of musicians. 😎
"Dogs in my style?" The jokes write themselves. Fortunately, because ChatGPT completely missed it.
Congratulations to the first First Offender we've had in a couple of weeks: Seth Christenfeld, a New York theater person who describes himself on Facebook as "a cranky Jew." Seth, does the cranky-Jewishness come from having "Christ" in your name all the time?
I'm only seeing this now, so I'm sorry it took me a week to respond. Having a name that literally translates to "Field of Christ" is only a minor contributor to my crankiness. We think it was "Klaristenfeld" in the Old Country, wherever that may have been. (One of my cousins, who isn't even a Christenfeld but a Lindquist, once quipped that it's an old Yiddish word meaning "pranked at Ellis Island.")
Oops, it turns out that Seth is a Repeat Offender after all -- he had one blot of ink in 2017. So he has already been Fir Stunk. (It was for new clues for words in a crossword grid: For EWOK, he did: "That's disgusting! . . . Oh, what the heck, let's do it" (2 wds) )
Do you automatically check these thngs on the master stats before actually sending out the tree?
Usually. I guess I failed to this time.
I used to dream about riding a bike when I was young- but it was hopeful fantasy as I was a failure at it. Running into the mailbox was my last attempt as a child. As an adult I used to dream about during an Axel (figure skating's hardest jump) or ice dancing with someone. Haven't skated for years and no longer dream about it and it would make me sad that the metal in my back makes skating hazardous or as the doctor said when I asked him if it was ok to go back to skating: "if you don't fall".
As a young teen, my son had to have part of his jaw re-filled in, after extraction of a cyst. He asked the doctor if he would have to limit his activities for a while, and the doctor said, "don't get into any fistfights."
After his cataract surgery, my dad said his doctor told him, "Don't look at anything heavy."
The doctor probably said "Don't LIFT anything heavy," but your dad misheard it, because he was expecting the doctor to say something about "looking" since this was eye surgery.
That being said, I hope the doctor DID say what your dad heard, because it's hilarious.
Daddy made the whole thing up. He's a funny guy. He'll be 90 years old on St. Patrick's Day. Last week he told the clerk at the convenience store, "At my age, i don't buy green bananas." The clerk told me about it yesterday.
So it was a Dad joke!